Sunny day today and warmer weather coming

Greetings, readers. I’ve looked at my weather app on the computer this morning and we’re supposed to have temperatures in the low to mid 50s F the next two days. It’s beautifully sunny today and in the 40s. I don’t care if it is going to rain in the next day or so, any day in late December it goes above 40 is one day closer to spring. Hell, yes! Sorry, President Trump, there really is such a thing as climate change.

I’m hoping beyond hope that I will be able to enjoy the two warmer days. Sometimes after the weather has gotten colder and then warming up again, I turn into Mr. Lethargic. I plan on getting up early in the morning and do any Facebooking, Twittering, or any other such computer stuff before it gets warm. If it follows the pattern that it has in past years and I do get sleepy, I will be able to take an afternoon nap and still think that I got something accomplished. Sometimes getting things accomplished for me is tough. Between construction noise, my low self-esteem, my boatload of daily medications and other factors, my creativity and brain power are not what they used to be.

Let’s see what is going on in the news for a moment. Prayers go out to the victims and their families in Indonesia where two volcano eruptions and a tsunami reeked havoc. Prayers also go out to those impacted this holiday season by the storms and delays in travel from weather. I hope you all get home safely.

If you are in good weather, enjoy it. If you are in nature’s fury, please be careful. Have a blessed New Year. We will see you next Wednesday, and as always, happy reading.

See you next year!

A late Christmas present for a dear friend

Greetings, readers. A very dear friend of mine whom I’ve known since junior high school has had a very rough couple of years. Me, being the kind of guy I am, wish I could wave my magic wand and make it all better. I don’t have one of those, so I thought to myself what is the next best way to pull off a Christmas miracle? Then the answer hit me.

My friend has always wanted to take a cruise to the Bahamas. I’m going to do my best to be Captain Santa’s elf. I’m going to start a GoFundMe page for her and her fiancé in order to raise money to send them on that dream vacation.

Her health is not what it used to be and I really want her to be able to enjoy the cruise that she’s always wanted to go on. Rebecca and I were crunching numbers on the Royal Caribbean website, and we will continue to do so on other cruise sites. The amount we came up with is $4,000, which is $2,000 per person for the cruise tickets and travel expenses. I’m thinking about a cruise in April 2019. That will give us plenty of time to raise the money and find the perfect cruise for them.

I’m going to construct the first draft of the GoFundMe page contents. I told my friend I would let her see it, in case there were any changes she wanted to make. Once she gives me the thumbs up, I will complete the GoFundMe page and make it live. I am so excited to make this happen for her.

Finally, on a Christmas topic, I did manage to string two strands of lights around a picture frame and my bookcase. They look extremely pretty. My kitty cat, Josie, to my happy surprise has only pawed at them one time. I’m shocked beyond belief. I fully expected her to pull the strand down minutes after I plugged it in and all the lights lit up. I also hung up a couple of stockings. I drank plenty of eggnog, went on my traditional Christmas Eve light ride, went to two Christmas dinners, and passed out at 8:30 Christmas night with a full belly.

Rebecca and I will be here tomorrow, for our last Thursday, as we go down to one working day a week … at least for a while.

Until tomorrow, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, love one another, take care, and happy reading.

Fuller House season 4

Greetings, readers. I couldn’t wait for December 14th, the premier date for Fuller House, season 4. I’ve watched every episode in the new season and loved them all. Please be aware before reading this blog entry, that it has spoilers for the entire series throughout.

The more I watch this show, the more I like it. I love the way Candace Cameron Bure brought her real life Christian way of life to her character D.J. The three female characters range from age 41 to 36 in this current season. Yes, I remember them from the original show Full House, when they were little kids, and Jodie Sweetin was so light that she could be attached to a hook on the back of a closet door to say her, “Just hangin’ around,” joke line. All of the children have turned out to be beautiful, smart women who are exceptional actresses.

Things I love about this show. The same house but updated with newer furnishings. Yes, Danny’s old couch is still there. But I’ve noticed some different wall hangings, a change of tile around the kitchen sink, little things like that. It is what you would expect if you walked into a house 29 years later. There is not one character I don’t like. Yes, Jackson can be a little bit whiney, but being a momma’s boy, I can relate. If anyone reads this blog who has anything to do with this show, please keep the romances of Rocki and Jackson, and Rose and Max going until the end. They are all so cute together. I also love the fact that they are taking D.J.’s romance in the Steve direction. Steve was D.J.’s high school boyfriend before going their separate ways. In the first few seasons of Fuller House, D.J. was in love with her veterinarian partner Matt. Yes, they were cute together, but I am, as they say on the show, team Steve. I am also thrilled that Stephanie and Jimmy now have a child together thanks to Jimmy’s sister Kimmy. In the final episode, Jimmy proposes to Steph, and it was one of the most well done scenes in the series to date. Lastly, I love how they are making this series about the “youngsters” with only the occasional visits from Danny, Jesse, Joey, and Becky.

No show is perfect and here a few things I don’t like so much. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen vehemently refuse to be on Fuller House. Every year on one of the holiday themed episodes when a toast is made at the table, someone is always wishing that Michelle can come next year. After four seasons, this is getting a little ridiculous. Offer them a billion dollars for a cameo or kill the character off already. No sitcom is supposed to be that realistic but not to see your sister in four years without an explanation of bad blood does not logically work for me. Most Fuller House fans would love to see Michelle make an appearance but we have more or less given up on that possibility. Another thing that is rubbing me the wrong way are the divorced characters Kimmy and Fernando. They are back in love but the show’s creators don’t seem to be taking it anywhere. Make daughter Ramona the happiest girl on Earth and have her parents get re-married for Pete’s sake. Yes, there really isn’t much that I don’t like about this show. Perhaps it is that I was a Full House lover and in my eyes they can do no wrong.

What do you think about Fuller House? Reply in the comment section in Facebook or below with your thoughts.

Before I close, R.I.Ps go out to Penny Marshall and Sondra Locke, two great actresses and directors.

I wish you a great weekend, a Merry Christmas, and we will see you next Wednesday. Happy reading.

I wish I lived in a house

Greetings, readers. This morning, I was going to do a few loads of laundry. Two things prevented me from doing so. Another tenant beat me to the washing machine by minutes. And I only had change to wash and dry one load. Here are some of the advantages if I owned a house.

First of all, the laundry machine would not require coins. Second, I could do as many loads as I wanted to throughout the day. I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting my load of laundry while, perish the thought, someone else was waiting for the machine. Another advantage of owning a home is that I would not be living downtown here next to this horrendous construction. Yes, I know construction happens in rural areas, it is just that this last month has tested my patience so much that at times I wanted to walk into their construction site and drain the diesel out of all their machinery.

I would have much more room and having to move out of this apartment would give me the opportunity to clean out once and for all and only take what I want and need with me. I don’t see this happening, because of money issues, but oh there are times when I wished I owned a home. The laundry room has hours of operation, meaning that I can’t sneak in quietly at 2:00am and wash a load of sweatshirts. It 8am to 10pm and 99.9 percent of all people here do it in those hours. Every once in a while you will find a cluck who has already begun their wash at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning. Is that a horrendous faux pas? No, but it isn’t 8:00 either.

I’m not saying all apartment life is bad. I’m downtown near stores, bus stops, the library, and wonderful eateries. I am very thankful to have the roof over my head, a nice pet, a kick-butt TV, and a working PS3 … when it decides it wants to turn on. But make no mistake, if I ever win the lottery, I’m buying a mansion, complete with staff. Let us know in the comments what you would do if you won the lottery. Would you buy a car, house, or boat? I would give 10 percent to charity, buy my family and friends niceties that they have always wanted, and treat myself. And yes, folks, I have learned from my mistakes, I would bank the rest.

The downsides of owning a home is that you are responsible for all repairs and general upkeep, not the apartment maintenance person. If anything breaks around here, I call John. If my plumbing would go bad in my house, I would call Roto Rooter  and then open my wallet wide. There truly is no perfect world.

That’s today’s blog. We’ll be back with another one tomorrow. I bid you a fantastic day, spread love around, take care, and happy reading.

What a strange evening I had yesterday

Greetings, readers. Around 5:00 yesterday afternoon I got into one of those funky moods that comes over me now and then. So what did I do last night? I tortured myself with four and a half hours of the best of YouTube marriage proposal compilation videos and pregnancy announcement videos. Boy am I a glutton for punishment. It got me thinking about my life and where I stand right now, without a wife and kids.

Most people would watch one, maybe two, but no, I just kept hitting next video. I will admit I saw some really great marriage proposals. I also saw some pregnancy videos where the grandparents-to-be did not know that there was more than one baby about to be born. My personal favorite was when the mommy said here is your grandson, waited a few seconds and then said and here’s his brother, to which everyone in the room screamed. Rebecca had a good point when I told her about this; why would you not tell your family about a multiple birth? Some people just want to surprise their families so badly.

I purposefully stayed away from the other set of videos that tends to torture me, which are soldiers coming home and surprising their wives, girlfriends, children, parents, etc. Oh, that starts the flood, they really pull the heartstrings with me, especially when Daddy comes home to the kids.

It is now several minutes later after I took a break because of the clamoring construction crap going on outside my window. Rebecca and I will have to deal with it the best we can. She had construction by her home for about five years. My nightmare just began in July. I have approximately two years left before the building next door is completed. Hopefully the new stores slated to be in the lower half of the building will bring jobs and prosperity to our area. A couple of them are going to be clothing stores and I’m hoping that at least one store will have some kind of groceries or basic supplies. Our CVS store was in the demolished building where this new apartment complex is going to stand. I went to that CVS often for a great many things. Maybe in a couple of months it will be published in the newspaper exactly what businesses will be going in the new building.

There’s today’s blog entry. We’ll see you next week with entries on Wednesday and Thursday. I bid everyone a great weekend, stay safe, give your family members a hug, and as always, happy reading.

Thinking of Bear Spring Camps on a cold day

Greetings, readers. This morning, I got up about quarter to 7:00 which is about the time I would rise at camp to get ready for breakfast. Time did not permit me this morning to go to Panera for breakfast because Rebecca was coming and I had things to do before she arrived. Even now, as I sit here looking out the window, gazing at the grey sky and knowing the temperatures are in the low 30s F, I’m thinking how nice it would be to be back in camp in August, swimming in the lake. It is a nice dream, isn’t it?

Yes, folks, I’ve always had an over active imagination. I can daydream and think about almost anything. When it is cold or snowy, my thoughts will generally turn to summer and Bear Spring Camps. Heck, it’s only a few weeks before next year’s vacation turns into this year’s vacation.

Over the years, I shot lots of video tape footage of the camp, the lake, and the people. A number of years ago I edited all that onto a tape which I called Bear Spring Camps: The Day. It was amazing how well it worked. From early with the sun coming up to going to bed at night, with all the typical activities in between, it came out perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a video you have to sit down and watch for eight hours straight. The concept was devised to cover key points in the day. The early morning lake, the going to and from meals, riding down to Belgrade Lake store, boating and fishing, the evening bonfire, etc. Unfortunately I misplaced it somewhere in the apartment, and it has been a while since I watched it.

Boy am I getting nostalgic today. It is Wednesday which I remember as turkey or ham for dinner at camp. Isn’t that embarrassing, I know that Sunday is roast chicken and always will be, but I am blanking on what Wednesday’s dinner meal really is. I really love the food there.

I can see all the wonderful pies and cakes and smell the aroma of freshly made coffee. During the afternoon and evening meals, more people are there early and the sounds of conversations blend together with everyone talking in unison, making it difficult to understand what anyone is saying. Sometimes it is even difficult to hear what the family is saying at our own table. The noise level can fluctuate that much. On Thursday evenings a singer with an acoustic guitar comes to entertain at the evening meal it is quite pleasant and folks tend to sing along.

I know I am not living in a dream land, dear readers, from my apartment window I am staring at the local Days Inn hotel and it is the middle of December. But how nice to have that five-minute vacation. Now it is time to go back to reality. I think people tend to be nicer when they are on vacation. When you have had a hard day at work, try my method, pop in a vacation video or find a loved one and go through a photo album or two. A small little respite from real life never hurt anybody.

Continued good thoughts and prayers go out to those who need it. Rebecca and I will be back tomorrow with another blog entry so stay tuned for that. I bid you a wonderful day, take care, brighten someone’s day, and happy reading.

I won’t be decorating for Christmas this year

Greetings, readers. This is not Ebenezer Kockelmans talking, but any Christmas lights I hang anywhere will be played with and ripped down by the young rambunctious kitten, so what’s the point? A month full of, “You stop that kitty,” is not going to keep me in the holiday spirit. So unless I can find an area where said kitten can’t get to, this will not be a decorated home this year.

In the past, I have been creative and strung Christmas lights around my coat rack, various hung paintings, and even the big book case. As you can see, I’m still pondering in my mind any place I can hang lights that can be a safe bet, not to be played with. To me it would not be the Christmas season without the color of lights. On the other hand, I don’t want to keep poor Josie in the penalty box 24/7. Not only would that give her early arthritis, but it would be punishing her for something that really isn’t her fault. Kittens love to play with things. It is in their nature.

Even though my former cat Keekee and Princess Josie are both listed as short-haired domestics, Keekee was not a mouser, she was a jumper. P.J., as I call her sometimes, is the opposite. Perhaps if I hang some lights in the kitchen in an area where she can’t jump, I can at least enjoy some color as I make coffee or food. If worse comes to worst, there are YouTube videos of a crackling fire in a room full of decorations and a Christmas tree while playing Christmas music. That is always enjoyable for me and I enjoy ambiance videos anyway.

On to another topic. Speaking of YouTube, I saw George W. Bush’s eulogy for his father in a video on YouTube. The service was in the beautiful National Cathedral in Washington D.C. It was probably George W. Bush’s best speech ever. He only stumbled on his words once towards the end when he was getting emotional. And yes folks, presidents are human, he did break down and cry a little when he thanked his father for being the best dad in the world. Former presidents Jimmy Carter with Rosalynn, Bill Clinton with Hillary, Barack Obama with Michelle, and current president Donald Trump with Melania were in attendance in the front row.

Many videos of the entire day’s coverage are on YouTube for anyone to view. I highly recommend it if you are a Republican or a Bush family fan. Continued prayers go out to the Bush family. This must be a terrible time for them and I am sure they can benefit from people’s prayers.

Next week, we will be back for another Wednesday blog on an as of yet unknown topic. At the current moment I have a machine gun called a jack hammer right outside my window driving me absolutely chocolate bon-bons. Hopefully by next Wednesday that phase of the construction will be over and the jack hammer will be gone. I am having a lot of trouble concentrating and dictating. But we push through. I bid all of you a wonderful weekend, love your neighbor and your families, take care and happy reading.

All I want for Christmas is my four front teeth

Greetings, readers. Well, the news is out, I have a four tooth upper partial. Ta-da. I had a dental cleaning yesterday, which went rather well, until I was told that one filling was starting to come loose. Instead of making another appointment and having to find time on a different day to be away from the apartment, I asked if the dentist could fill it now. To my happy surprise, they said yes.

After 30 minutes or so of filling the tooth, and polishing it down, it was time for me to leave and I went to put in my partial. I had a heck of a time getting it to click into place. This does happen on occasion when it needs adjusted. That is what I thought the problem was. This morning, I couldn’t get it to stay in at all, and to my horror, neither could my dentist when I went over there before Rebecca got here. They are in now with Fixodent, but the problem remains that it is going to have to be fixed or replaced. Here’s my dilemma.

The technician told me to bring the green box, that contains either x-rays or a plastic mold from which the partial was originally made, back with me in a day or so. I was looking for something else not too long ago and saw that damned green box. Do you think I can remember where I saw it? Hell, no. I’ll probably be searching for weeks. All the while dealing with a loose partial. I guess for now I will have to learn how to use Fixodent.

Here’s a personal history lesson for you. Many moons ago there used to be a coffee stand in one of our local grocery stores. I tried a hard Italian cookie called a biscotti and forgot to dunk. That was the death of my front tooth. Over the course of the next several months, my dentist found things wrong with my other three front teeth and decided that the partial was the best course of action. Dear readers, if you ever eat a biscotti . . . don’t forget to dunk. 😉

On to a different topic, today is therapy day for me and I am happy to report that I am in much better spirits overall than I was a few weeks ago. My therapy aid, X-Plane 11 again began acting like a witch and for no apparent reason uninstalled the start icon. Oh, what fun to have a game there that you can’t run. If anybody knows how to get a start icon back without uninstalling and reinstalling the game, please help me by leaving a comment on Facebook or in this comment section. It is now uninstalled, but luckily I can reinstall it anytime because I have the purchase code.

Before I sign off, thoughts and prayers go out to the Bush family who have suffered a terrible loss. R.I.P. to George Herbert Walker Bush, a 94-year-old WW II veteran who almost died in action, lived to become our 41st president, and was a darn good one. Thank you for your service, sir, and may God bless your family.

That is it for today. We’ll be back tomorrow, if this construction hasn’t driven me crazy before then. If you see an entry titled, From Rebecca: Joe’s in the loony bin, you will know what happened. Until tomorrow, have a wonderful day, spread love around, take care, and happy reading.